Arte Moreno is meeting with the City of Tustin about potentially moving the Angels should a new stadium be built in that city. The proposed site is former MCAS El Toro!

According to this article from MLB.com, the Halos' preference is to stay in O.C.

Good._________________"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

That was not something I heard before yesterday although I see the article was from this weekend. And I was even in O.C. for a work meeting on Monday! Wonder if anything will come of this. _________________"Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem." - Saul Steinberg

"Something Has to Give in Stalled Stadium Lease Negotiations Between Angels and Anaheim"

City's mayor has been successful in framing the debate on the deal in a way that it has halted the process, even though the City Council has voted to approve the framework of an agreement.

By Bill Shaikin
April 26, 2014, 5:41 p.m.

You're the mayor. A guy walks into City Hall and offers to spend half a billion bucks to revitalize property owned by the City, at no cost to the City. What do you say?

If you're Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait, you call it a taxpayer giveaway.

This is not a knock at Tait. This is a tip of the cap toward a mayor who has been so incredibly successful in framing the debate surrounding the Angels' stadium lease negotiations that the process has ground to a dead halt.

It has been six months since the Anaheim City Council voted to approve the framework of a deal designed to keep the Angels in town for the long term, and to determine how to cover the estimated $150 million needed to keep Angel Stadium up and running for the long term.

The Angels first asked the City for cash. The City, properly, said no.

So the two sides agreed the Angels would cover that $150 million and, in exchange, would lease the land surrounding the stadium — the parking lots - for $1 per year. If the Angels successfully developed the land, they could make back that money, and maybe more.

In Anaheim, the mayor has one vote on the City Council. Tait was outvoted, 4-1, but he has publicly objected to proceeding with the deal ever since.

It is not so much that Tait is the voice of the opposition. It is that Tait is the only voice.

The other four members of the City Council have remained silent, apparently taking political cover behind Tait. Anaheim has an interim City Manager, on the job for two months. The City's lead negotiator, Charles Black, resigned last month.

Angels owner Arte Moreno has remained silent too. He and other Angels officials have declined requests to explain why the deal would be good for the team and for the City.

"That's because it's not a good deal for the people," Tait said.

Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey said team executives would be happy to help sell the deal, if and when the City and the Angels finalize one.

"There is no deal," Garvey said. "For us to discuss deal points that have not been agreed upon is misleading and unfair to the public."

On Friday, the city is expected to release a long-awaited appraisal, with estimates as to what the fair market value of the site might be, with and without the Angels playing there. Previous City estimates have ranged from $30 million to $380 million.

But the City does not need an appraisal to realize the land is worth much more without a baseball stadium, and without the parking it requires. If this is all about the best financial option for Tait — and that would be an entirely honorable position, given that the revenue could go to police and fire services, youth sports, libraries and such — then the City should let the Angels play out their lease and go elsewhere.

"It doesn't have to be the maximum best deal," Tait said. "There's a value you could put on having a hometown team."

Tait has framed the deal as a taxpayer giveaway because the potential land value, and return from development, might far exceed the $150 million cited as the Angels' contribution. Yet, if that land were so valuable, the City ought to have put up for bid the 45 acres, about a third of the land, that it can sell without the Angels having veto rights.

So long as the Angels play there, any significant development would require the construction of parking structures, to replace the spaces used for new buildings. That means, as the City has acknowledged, that the Angels are the most logical developer.

Two prominent developers, who reviewed the proposed Angels deal for The Times on condition of anonymity, estimated Moreno might spend $250 million to develop the site into something about as large as The Grove shopping and entertainment center in Los Angeles, about $150 million for construction, and about $100 million for parking structures. Moreno could take on a development partner, but that would be his responsibility.

And, given that Moreno would want money-making amenities as well as the required infrastructure improvements to stay at Angel Stadium, one major league owner estimated Moreno might put $200 million to $400 million into the ballpark, in all. The Dodgers' new owners have spent $150 million over the last two off-seasons on stadium upgrades.

Add it up, and Moreno might be in for more than $500 million. In fact, when former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt made a 2004 pitch for long-term Dodger Stadium improvements that included shops, concessions, parks, team offices, a team museum and two parking structures, he estimated the cost at $500 million.

All of this, remember, at no cost to the city of Anaheim.

The developers contacted by The Times said the City should be concerned about the possibility of Moreno selling the team at a premium because of the development rights, then laughing all the way to the bank without developing anything. Tait is concerned, and rightly so, that Moreno could make windfall profits without the city getting a cent.

The Angels are believed to be willing to negotiate in such areas, for instance, to consider some revenue sharing, to bind the deal on any future owner and to discuss meeting development deadlines or letting the City take back the property.

However, with talks at a stalemate because of the way Tait has framed the issue, the Angels have flirted with Tustin and kept an eye on Los Angeles. If Moreno has to commit much more than $500 million, his best financial play might be to build himself a ballpark.

Moreno says he wants to stay in Anaheim. Tait says he wants the Angels to stay, and his diligence will result in a better deal than the one the City might have gotten six months ago. There is no reason a deal cannot get done, if only someone would speak up on its behalf.

For the first update on this topic in several months, the Angels have ended stadium negotiations for a new lease with the City of Anaheim._________________"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

Haven't had any reason to update this thread in over a year, but now...is it back to square one?

From the L.A. Times:

"Angels Renew Stadium Talks With Anaheim After Striking Out in Tustin"

by Bill Shaikin

With their hopes dashed for a new ballpark in Tustin, the Angels have renewed talks with the city of Anaheim about an Angel Stadium renovation and lease extension.

The developer of the proposed Tustin site said his firm worked extensively in recent months on a ballpark project, but could not structure a deal that made economic sense for the development company, for Tustin and for the Angels.

“My guess is, they are going to stay in Anaheim,” said Dene Oliver, chief executive officer of San Diego-based Oliver McMillan.

The Angels’ current lease extends through 2029, although the team can opt out no later than 2019. Angel Stadium opened in 1966, and the only older major league ballparks still in use are Boston’s Fenway Park (1912), Chicago’s Wrigley Field (1914) and Dodger Stadium (1962).

“Right now, we are in discussions with Anaheim to see if we can find a way to continue to deliver a high-quality fan experience in a City-owned aging stadium,” Angels spokesperson Marie Garvey said.

Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait said the City Council has not yet been briefed on the talks. He said he would like the City to strike a deal with the Angels.

“My preference is to find a win-win,” Tait said, “that’s a good deal for the people of Anaheim. There’s lots of room for that.”

In 2013, the Anaheim City Council approved the framework of a deal in which the Angels would have paid an estimated $150 million to refurbish Angel Stadium in exchange for a $1-per-year lease on part of the surrounding parking lot, providing team owner Arte Moreno with the opportunity to recoup his stadium renovation costs with profitable development of the surrounding land.

Tait immediately objected, suggesting the team and City share the development profits. The City also commissioned an appraisal that valued the land at $225 million when leased to a developer.

The Angels ended negotiations with Anaheim in 2014. They explored options for new ballparks in Los Angeles, Carson and Irvine, but prioritized Tustin because of its proximity to the current stadium and fan base.

In 2015, Tustin reached agreement with Oliver McMillan to develop the southwest portion of an old Marine Corps base — about eight miles southeast of Anaheim — and directed the firm to work with the Angels to see how a ballpark might fit into the 123-acre site.

“Moving to Tustin would require a new stadium,” Garvey said, “and at this time, it is too much of a hurdle for all of the parties involved.”

The two sides are believed to have focused on a stadium that would have seated about 37,000 and cost about $700 million. Tustin officials had said they would not provide taxpayer funding for stadium construction.

The Angels have not ruled out renewing a search outside Anaheim, or simply letting their current lease there play out. For now, however, the focus appears to be on a new deal with Anaheim.

The Anaheim City Council expands from five to seven members after the November election, a possible impetus for a deal before then. Of the five current members of the council, three voted in favor of that 2013 deal framework.

The council last year retained Wylie Aitken, a high-profile Orange County attorney, as its lead negotiator in talks with the Angels, although City staff appears to be leading this round of discussions. Aitken has not invoiced the City for any work related to the Angels, according to city records obtained by the Los Angeles Times. He also did not return several calls from The Times.

bill.shaikin@latimes.com_________________"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

We were just talking about this with our Angel fans season ticket holder friends. They would prefer they stay in Anaheim and work something out with the City of Anaheim. Maybe they will even go back to being the Anaheim Angels. Who knows _________________"Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem." - Saul Steinberg

In his first news conference since October 2015, Angels owner Arte Moreno said on Saturday that his team is staying at Angel Stadium for the foreseeable future.

The franchise holds the right to opt out of its Angel Stadium lease in 2019 and has long been considering a move within Orange County around that. But no suitable location has been found, so they will stay.

Moreno said the club holds additional opt-out opportunities in 2028 and 2038, although, as written, the lease expires at the end of 2029 and then contains three three-year opt-in clauses, extending through 2038.

Opened in 1966, Angel Stadium is the fourth-oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. Fifteen of the leagueâ€™s 30 teams will play this season in stadiums opened in 2000 or later.

Speaking at Tempe Diablo Stadium ahead of his clubâ€™s first scheduled full-squad workout of 2017, Moreno said he believed any move would require at least three years of advance planning because of environmental restrictions in California.

â€śItâ€™s going to take some time to get ourselves prepared to see what direction weâ€™re going to go,â€ť Moreno said. â€śWe have options with the lease, whether we exercise them or not. We really have options all the way through â€™38. We have flexibility.â€ť

The Times reported in August that the developer of one proposed site in Tustin said his firm could not structure a deal that made economic sense for the development company, for Tustin and for the Angels.

Moreno said the franchise spent $1.5 million to install LED lights in the stadium over the off-season. They were first deployed during Supercross events last month.

â€śIf we were leaving, we wouldnâ€™t be spending any capital on lights,â€ť he said.

Good news._________________"Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem." - Saul Steinberg

Okay, so...it was announced this afternoon that the Angels are opting out of their lease. What's next?

From the L.A. Times:

"Angels Opt Out of their Angel Stadium Lease, But it Doesn't Mean They're Leaving"

By BILL SHAIKIN
OCT 16, 2018 | 2:35 PM

The Angels opted out of their lease with the city of Anaheim on Tuesday, setting the stage for another round of negotiations over whether the team remains in their longtime host city or finds a new home elsewhere in Southern California.

â€śAs we look to the future, we need the ability to continue to deliver a high-quality fan experience beyond what the original lease allows,â€ť Angels president John Carpino said in a statement. â€śIt is important that we look at all our options and how we can best serve our fans now and in the future.â€ť

Angel Stadium, which opened in 1966, is the fourth-oldest ballpark in the major leagues, behind Bostonâ€™s Fenway Park, Chicagoâ€™s Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium.

Since 2003, the first season of Arte Morenoâ€™s ownership, the Angels and New York Yankees are the only major league teams to sell three million tickets every year.

Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait, who led the drive against a tentative agreement between the city and the team for an Angel Stadium renovation in 2013, is in his final term. Voters in Anaheim will elect a new mayor and three new council members next month.

Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey said the decision to opt out was not meant to influence voters. She said the lease required the team to opt out no later than Tuesday or wait until 2028 for another chance to do so.

â€śItâ€™s today, or 10 years from now,â€ť Garvey said. â€śThereâ€™s no option in between.â€ť

Garvey would not say whether remaining in Anaheim was the Angelsâ€™ first choice.

â€śWeâ€™ll sit down with the new mayor and City Council,â€ť she said. â€śWe also are going to look at all our options.â€ť

The Angels ended negotiations with Anaheim in 2014, then revived them briefly in 2016. They explored options for new ballparks in Los Angeles, Carson and Irvine, but prioritized a proposal for a new stadium in Tustin because of its proximity to their current home and fan base.

The sides are believed to have focused on a stadium that would have seated about 37,000 and cost about $700 million. Tustin officials said then that they would not provide taxpayer funding for stadium construction.

Moreno said last year that the team would play at Angel Stadium until the lease ends in 2029.

In a statement, the city of Anaheim acknowledged that Moreno needed to act now or lose his flexibility for the next decade.

â€śWe look forward to many great years of Angels baseball in Anaheim,â€ť the city statement said. â€śWe donâ€™t believe there is a better place for the team than in the heart of Orange Countyâ€™s most exciting city.â€¦

â€śAs fun as baseball is in Anaheim, this is a reminder that this is still a business. And we understand that the Angels need to preserve all options available. We welcome talking with the team about the future of baseball in Anaheim.â€ť

By exercising the opt-out clause, the Angels can leave Angel Stadium after the 2019 season. The City and team would have to negotiate what might happen beyond next season.

Moreno said last year that he believed any move to a new ballpark would require at least three years of planning.

Under the failed 2013 deal, initially proposed by the City, Anaheim would have provided land in the stadium parking lot to Moreno, who would have agreed to pay for an estimated $150 million in stadium improvements, at no cost to the City.

Moreno could have recouped his investment by developing the land. Tait objected to the City selling the land to Moreno for $1, and to the City not sharing in the profits from development.

Garvey said the Angels understand they are unlikely to find a city in Southern California willing to pay for a new ballpark.

â€śWe understand the realities of California,â€ť she said. â€śThere is a significant investment involved either way.â€ť_________________"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

Very curious to see what happens!_________________"Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem." - Saul Steinberg

Okay, the Angels are officially in Anaheim through 2020. That's only two more seasons, though. From that point forward...who knows?

From the L.A. Times:

"Angels and Anaheim are Expected to Agree to One-Year Extension on Angel Stadium Lease"

By BILL SHAIKIN
JAN 10, 2019 | 10:00 AM

The Angels and the City of Anaheim are expected to agree to a one-year extension of the teamâ€™s lease at Angel Stadium, which would keep the team in Anaheim through the 2020 season.

The Anaheim City Council is expected to consider the extension at its meeting Tuesday. Harry Sidhu, the cityâ€™s new mayor, plans to introduce the proposal after meeting last week with Angels owner Arte Moreno.

â€śFrom that meeting, it is clear the teamâ€™s priority is to stay in Anaheim if we can work out a deal that benefits our residents, the city and the team,â€ť Sidhu said in a statement. â€śWe need a plan to make that happen, and we need time to make that happen.â€ť

The short-term deal would assure the Angels a home beyond this year. It would also allow time for the new City Council to familiarize itself with options for keeping the team in Anaheim â€” in a new or renovated stadium â€” while the Angels consider alternative homes in Southern California.

In October, the Angels opted out of a lease that would have bound them to play in Angel Stadium through 2029.

After meeting with Sidhu, Moreno said in a statement, â€śwe realized a one- year extension will give us adequate time to work collaboratively on a long-term relationship.â€ť

In 2013, when Anaheim extended the teamâ€™s deadline to opt out, the City got nothing in return. In exchange for forgoing its right to kick the Angels out of the stadium after the coming season, the City wants to take the extra time to try to integrate the Angels into a vision of developments of residences, shops, restaurants and breweries in the stadium neighborhood.

â€śProfessional sports are critical to that,â€ť City spokesman Mike Lyster said. â€śWe would rather take the time to negotiate an agreement that keeps that vision in mind rather than rushing something through for the sake of a compressed deadline.â€ť

Over the course of the next year, Sidhu said, he hoped to strike a deal that would keep the Angels in Anaheim â€śfor another 50 years or more.â€ť

In November, Anaheim voters elected Sidhu as the new mayor. Tom Tait, the Anaheim mayor who led the drive against a tentative agreement between the City and the team for an Angel Stadium renovation in 2013, completed his final term in office in December.

Angel Stadium, which opened in 1966, is the fourth-oldest ballpark in the major leagues, behind Bostonâ€™s Fenway Park, Chicagoâ€™s Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium.

Since 2003, the first season of Morenoâ€™s ownership, the Angels and New York Yankees are the only major league teams to sell three million tickets every year.

The Angels ended negotiations with Anaheim in 2014, then revived them briefly in 2016. They explored options for new ballparks in Los Angeles, Carson and Irvine, but prioritized a proposal for a new stadium in Tustin because of its proximity to their current home and fan base.

The team and Tustin officials are believed to have focused on a facility that would have seated about 37,000 and cost about $700 million. Tustin officials said then that they would not provide taxpayer funding for stadium construction.

In 2017, Moreno said that he believed any move to a new ballpark would require at least three years of planning. The Angels could move to Los Angeles County without the Dodgersâ€™ consent, under the major league rules that say both teams share the same operating territory.

Under the failed 2013 deal, initially proposed by the City, Anaheim would have provided land in the stadium parking lot to Moreno, who would have agreed to pay for an estimated $150 million in stadium improvements, at no cost to the City.

Moreno could have recouped his investment by developing the land. Tait objected to the city leasing the land to Moreno for $1 per year, and to the City not sharing in the profits from development.

In October, when the Angels opted out of their stadium lease, team spokeswoman Marie Garvey said they understood they were unlikely to find a city in Southern California willing to pay for a new ballpark.

â€śWe understand the realities of California,â€ť she said. â€śThere is a significant investment involved either way.â€ť_________________"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

-Baseball Hall of Fame

Last edited by dodgerblue6 on Wed 2/27/19 9:00 pm; edited 1 time in total

Half a century after the Angels passed on a chance to move to Long Beach, that city is again trying to lure the team.

The City has approached the Angels to see whether the team might be interested in a new ballpark on a waterfront site, city and team officials said Monday.

The City has not determined whether a ballpark would be feasible on the site or the best use for it, let alone whether taxpayers would contribute to a construction cost that could exceed $700 million and could approach $1 billion.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia called the ballpark exploration â€śvery preliminary.â€ť

â€śAs part of our efforts to create a downtown waterfront development plan, we are exploring the feasibility of a downtown sports venue on the convention center parking lot,â€ť Garcia said in a statement. â€śWe are in the early stages of our due diligence and are exploring a variety of options for this property.â€ť

The City reached out to the Angels several months ago, after the team opted out of its lease at Angel Stadium in Anaheim last October. Since then â€” and since a mayoral election in Anaheim â€” the team has extended its lease by one year, through the 2020 season.

Angels owner Arte Moreno said last week the teamâ€™s relationship with the City has been â€śvery positiveâ€ť since Harry Sidhu replaced Tom Tait as mayor in December. The City and the team have agreed to revive talks on a new or renovated stadium in Anaheim, in a location surrounded by three freeways and a train station, and in a district the City foresees can emerge as what one city official has called an â€śL.A. Live on steroids.â€ť

The Angels have not looked outside the Los Angeles market, and it is believed Anaheim and Long Beach are the only sites the team currently is considering. It is far too soon to know whether Long Beach can deliver a realistic proposal â€” including where the Angels might play immediately after their lease expires, since new ballparks require several years for environmental approvals, financing and construction.

For now, at least, the Angels are willing to listen.

â€śAs we have stated from the beginning, we must explore all our options to secure a long-term future for the Angels and provide fans with a high-quality experience in a renovated or new ballpark,â€ť Angels President John Carpino said in a statement.

The Dodgers could not veto such a move. Under major league rules, the Angels and Dodgers share territorial rights to Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Sidhu met last month with Moreno, after Long Beach made its initial overture.

"From that meeting, it is clear the teamâ€™s priority is to stay in Anaheim if we can work out a deal that benefits our residents, the City and the team,â€ť Sidhu said in a statement then. â€śWe need a plan to make that happen, and we need time to make that happen.â€ť

On Monday, Sidhu said: "It's no surprise other cities would try to lure the Angels to leave ... We are confident the best place for the Angels is and always will be Anaheim."

In 2013, Tait led a drive that ultimately killed an Angel Stadium renovation agreement between Moreno and City negotiators. The Angels would have renovated the stadium at no cost to the City, but Tait expressed concern that Moreno would lease part of the stadium parking lot for $1 per year without the City sharing in any development profits. The Angels subsequently explored options for a new ballpark in Los Angeles, Carson and Irvine.

They prioritized a proposal for a new stadium in Tustin because of its proximity to their current home and fan base. The team and Tustin officials are believed to have focused on a facility that would have seated about 37,000 and cost about $700 million. Tustin officials said that they would not provide taxpayer funding for stadium construction. Moreno declined to pay for all of it, although team officials say he is amenable to a public-private partnership.

The Angels, born in Los Angeles in 1961, explored a move to Long Beach soon after. Gene Autry, the Angelsâ€™ founding owner, had bristled at sharing Dodger Stadium and wanted his team to play in its own ballpark.

He first negotiated with Long Beach, but the City demanded that the team be called the Long Beach Angels. Autry declined, then closed a deal in Anaheim, where the City did not insist on affixing its name to the team that would play in Anaheim Stadium.

That stadium opened in 1966, and Autry changed the name of his team from the Los Angeles Angels to the California Angels. Since then, the team name has changed to the Anaheim Angels in 1997 and reverted to the Los Angeles Angels in 2005, but the team has played under all those names in that same stadium._________________"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

That will have to be quite an offer to get them to leave Anaheim. I learned something new reading this article. When they tried to get them to move to LB in the 1960s I did not know they rejected that because of the city wanting them to change their name. I had always heard about this possibility but I think I always assumed they liked Anaheim better. As you know, our friends from Long Beach are season ticket holders - so this would probably be a nice change for them, if it ever happens._________________"Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem." - Saul Steinberg